Bush Salutes Black Airmen and Does. . . Okay.
This week, President Bush and some prominent members of Congress welcomed African American airmen and their families and friends – the Tuskegee Airmen – to Washington, DC, praised them for their service some sixty years after they fought in World War II, and awarded them the Congressional Gold Medal. The segregated units did not enjoy the same triumphant return from Europe as did their white counterparts; they came back to a deeply bigoted and legally segregated nation that, even after their accomplishments, continued to doubt their intelligence, bravery and abilities.
The President’s speech surprisingly went slightly beyond safe, politically-correct rhetoric about inequality and veered ever-so-gently into recognition of the power of systemic racism:
“I have a strong interest in World War II airmen. I was raised by one. He flew with a group of brave young men who endured difficult times in the defense of our country. Yet for all they sacrificed and all they lost, in a way, they were very fortunate, because they never had the burden of having their every mission, their every success, their every failure viewed through the color of their skin. Nobody told them they were a credit to their race. Nobody refused to return their salutes. Nobody expected them to bear the daily humiliations while wearing the uniform of their country. It was different for the men in this room. When America entered World War II, it might have been easy for them to do little for our country. After all, the country didn't do much for them.”
The transposition of Bush’s father with the men standing before him was unpredictable, but even more interesting is the observation about failures being viewed as a result of skin color, and praise being celebrated in spite of it. While we cannot rush to credit the president personally with having such recognition (he may, but the speech doesn’t prove that), it is still curiously pleasing to have such language emanate from any mainstream public podium, let alone one from an administration that does not have a reputation for being on the cutting edge of civil rights advances.
Near the end of the speech, President Bush said, “The Tuskegee Airmen helped win a war, and you helped change our nation for the better.” Such a claim is accurate on its face, but misleading to a public who believes that racism is over. The nation has changed in a progressive direction on issues of race since World War II. That’s undeniable, and the statement clearly conveys that truth. But there is also a potential (and probability given Americans’ overall lack of racial consciousness) that the statement can be interpreted as meaning that the nation has changed, and therefore is done changing. No more work to be done. All finished with that messy “racism thang.” Thank heavens we’re past all of that.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. "Though Hitler was defeated, prejudice was not. ... Today we are trying to right that wrong." Uh. . . yeah. Well, it’ll probably take a bit more than this, but it is a nice gesture. They are “moving forward in righting a wrong,” “taking steps toward righting a wrong,” “moving in a direction that signals a commitment to righting a wrong,” etc., but one ceremony a half-century late is not enough “trying.” Keep at it, Madam Speaker. Keep at it. Don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back.
Far from nitpicking on this issue, we would have hoped that the President and the Speaker would have been more clear about the work that still needs to be done. Still, the president’s speech represents a somewhat courageous step, as he dipped his toe into the pool of understanding white privilege. Now, if someone could just grab that toe and pull him in, we’d be in business.
AND NOW SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...
RHYTHM, RACE & KARL ROVE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
posted by Charlton McIlwain & Stephen Maynard Caliendo @ 3/31/2007 10:06:00 AM
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18 July 2007
Prof. McIlwain
Racism Speech
For my speech I will be talking about continued racism in America and the lack of recognition that racism receives. I chose this topic based on our recent “Guess the Racist Political Ad” game in class, and will be using one of the This Week in Race blogs to supplement my ideas.
The blog I read was titled “Bush Salutes Black Airmen and Does…Okay” and it was written on March 13, 2007. I definitely agree with the main message of the blog and the interesting historical points it brings up.
This blog begins with the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. They were African American airmen who flew during World War Two, but they never received recognition from America for their deeds. In Europe they were celebrated, but in America, white citizens “continued to doubt their intelligence, bravery and abilities.”
So in March of this year President Bush and several members of Congress invited those airmen to come to Washington, D.C. and receive special recognition and Congressional Gold Medals for their service. Where the event got interesting was in President Bush’s speech. He acknowledged that the Tuskegee Airmen had been judged immediately after WWII based on “the color of their skin” and talked about how the Airmen had to face more hardships then whites. He also made a statement that truly, I thought, confirmed how much the American public has come to recognize the unjust difficulties of the Airmen: “When America entered World War II, it might have been easy for them to do little for our country. After all, the country didn't do much for them.”
However, the blog quickly points out, the President never pointed out how much the American public still needs to correct its racism. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did say that “Though Hitler was defeated, prejudice was not. ... Today we are trying to right that wrong,” that just isn’t enough to adequately address the racism problems facing America today.
So my connection to this blog is twofold. Historically, I did study the racist reactions of white Americans during and after WWII. I took AP US History last year in school, and my teacher thought she was the only voice for suppressed blacks. With one of the most Anglo teachers in the school, my class and I spent almost half the year focusing on racism both past and present. One of the main issues we studied was the Double V campaign. This was a campaign that used the slogan “"Democracy: Victory at Home, Victory Abroad” in order to promote civil rights for African Americans while also appearing patriotic to the war effort. A large part of this war effort was the enlistment of Black Americans in order to show how they were willing to fight for America and could bravely serve their country. Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, this did not equate more civil rights or equality until the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968.
This leads me to my second reaction—a reflection on racism in modern America. Although blacks have gain significant civil rights and in fact, as Professor McIlwain stated, it’s considered undesirable (and in most cases repulsive) to be “racist,” the truth is that racism in America still exists. Subconsciously, we—yes, all of us—are conditioned by Hollywood and to an extent the media expect different attitudes and actions from African Americans versus Anglo Americans versus Asian Americans versus Latino Americas…the list just continues. As the tests we saw online showed and as Professor Caliendo discussed, even minority groups are usually prejudice against their own group because they have been conditioned by the majority society.
Now, am I subconsciously racist? Probably, but even spending time analyzing my reactions to scenarios I cannot find examples of me personally being racist. If I’m walking at night on a street and a black man is walking towards me, am I going to pay attention and be alert when he passes me? Yes, but that’s just being smart. If it’s a white man will I act the same way? Yes. The difference for me would be in their attire. I am definitely more cautious of someone wearing crack-addict clothes then of someone in an Armani suit.
So that’s subconscious racism. What about the “explicit” racism? Well, that’s not for me, either, but it is present in modern America. Although it’s hard to find—what with being illegal and all—I do have one example of clear racism.
I have a friend –blond, petite, and Anglo—who used to work in our local mall. One day she was called in to help with the job applicants. She just had to read the applications and sit in the room while the interviews took place with the manager. One of the applicants was a African America girl. My friend told me that the girl was nice, seemed friendly, and overall was a great applicant for the position. But as soon as the girl had finished her application and stepped out of the room, the store manager turned to my friend and said, “You can throw that application away.” When my friend asked why, the manager said “Well, it’s kind of an unofficial policy, but our chain doesn’t hire black people.”
This is a true story. And is it okay? Absolutely not. This is the kind of story I would expect President Bush to be apologizing for, not the kind of story I would expect to be happening in my hometown’s mall.
President Bush was correct in identifying the detriments of racism in the past, but this blog entry is right. He and Americans in general need to recognize that racism, even explicit, is not a thing of the past.
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